India permits minority refugees from Bangladesh, Pakistan, Afghanistan to stay without passport

Members of minority communities from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan who entered India on or before 31 December 2024 to escape religious persecution will be allowed to stay in the country without passports or other valid travel documents, the Indian Home Ministry has said.

The order applies to "people belonging to minority communities in Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan, Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis and Christians, who were compelled to seek shelter in India due to religious persecution or fear of persecution, and entered the country on or before 31 December 2024, without valid documents or with documents that have since expired," according to an order issued yesterday (2 September), reports The Statesman.

The directive was issued under the Immigration and Foreigners (Exemption) Order, 2025, which introduces exemptions from requirements related to valid passports, travel documents, and visas for specific categories of people and carriers.

This order forms part of a series of measures under the newly enacted Immigration and Foreigners Act, 2025, which came into force on 1 September.

Previously, the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) granted eligibility for Indian citizenship only to those entering on or before 31 December 2014. 

The new order extends protection to arrivals up to 2024, but it does not provide a path to citizenship.